Men and particularly women suffer from edema and complications of phlebitis and stasis ulcers as well as other venous inflammatory diseases particularly during protracted bed confinement whether from accidents or fractures or extended illnesses. Post surgical convalescence for certain patients prescribe wearing of some form of elastic bandage, elastic surgical support stockings or other means for preventing conditions of phlebitis or other venous inflammatory conditions and possible complications that may develop in disabled patients. Prenatal and postnatal care in women who have experienced a tendency of swelling and pain in the legs generated by edema have found a measure of relief by some types of support or surgical stockings. Others who have experienced "tired legs" have found a measure of relief by wearing hoisery that has some retractive or compressive force.
Many of the objections encountered by women particularly in wearing surgical support stockings or elastic bandages had been generated by the objectionable appearance of the rather course surgical stockings on the leg of the wearer.
In more recent years, with the advent of torque thermoplastic yarns, stretchable nylon stockings have afforded a measure of retractive or compressive force on the leg of the wearer depending upon the volume of the leg and the size of the stocking. With the advent of elastomeric yarns in the spandex family, some support-type stockings have been produced in which stretchable nylon yarns have been knitted with covered spandex yarn laid-in in selected courses of the stocking. In some other types of support stockings, covered spandex has been employed in selected courses by knitting-in to provide the desired retractive force. Some stockings have been produced in which bare spandex has been used by laying-in without providing the high compressive forces desired or the graduated retractive force throughout the leg of the wearer in the vital region below the knee.
Generally, most support stockings available commercially are also objectionable by reason of the lack of control of the tension in the yarns to provide graduated degrees of retractive force in the foot, ankle, and calf of the wearer's leg. Furthermore, no provision has been made to relieve the compressive force about the toe area in order to provide increased comfort.
In those support stockings that have employed bare spandex or elastomeric yarns, such yarns have been exposed to the leg of the wearer and provide an objectionable clammy and rubber feel or hand. Spandex tends to snag readily when exposed, and minimal abrasion has caused exposed spandex yarns to sever and deterioration of the entire stocking occurs upon fracture of one or more of the spandex yarns.
The use of surgical support stockings or elastic bandages has been objectionable also due to the overlapping or wrinkling of the fabric in the instep portion which may tend to pinch the wearer'foot.
It is an objective of this invention to provide a therapeutic garment in the form of a circular knit stocking in which spandex or elastomeric yarns are knit in conjunction with non-elastomeric yarns to provide a retractive or compressive force on the leg of a wearer to provide relief from phlebitis and other venous inflammatory diseases and complications.
Another objective of this invention is to provide a therapeutic garment made on a circular knitting machine using elastomeric and non-elastomeric yarns for a relatively sheer stocking to be worn by patients and others having venous inflammatory diseases and those who require a retractive force whether confined to bed or wheel chair for prolonged periods or for periods of convalescence or for alleviating leg pain and swelling.
Still another objective of this invention is to provide a therapeutic garment in which elastomeric and non-elastomeric yarns are knit on a circular knitting machine under suitable tensions to provide graduated a compressive force in a boot of a stocking when on the leg of a wearer and in which there is freedom of toe movement with minimum fabric overlapping or wrinkling in the heel-instep area.
Yet another feature of this invention is the provision of a combination panty and stocking garment in which selected sections knit on a circular knitting machine have been provided with knitted elastomeric and non-elastomeric areas to provide increased retractive force on the leg of a wearer.
Other objectives of this invention and many of the attendant advantages will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the knitting art from the following detailed description of the accompanying drawing and detailed description of the knitted fabric and method of producing a stocking of knee-high length, a conventional stocking length or a combination panty and stocking garment.